Building construction



May 8, 1934-. A, F. BEMls 1,958,124-

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 25,1931 1o Sheets-Sheet .1

imjya:

May 8 1934. A. BEMls 1,958,124

I BUILDING CONSTRUCT ION Filed July 25, 1931 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 g m [IE53% W U H131 Q Mm May 18, 1934. I A BEMIS 1,958,124

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 25. 1931 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 Mag l g i-nA F. 353mg L$58fl24 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 25, 1931 10 Shetsheet 5 O O f? BUILDING CONSTRUCTION I J "1 FF 5 1 O 5% 0 A. F. EEMEsBUILDING CONSTRUCTION 10 sheets-sne-l; 7

Filed July -25 1931 May 8, 1934. A. F. sews 1,958,124

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FiledJuly 25. 1931 10 Sheets-Sheet a May 8, 1934.

A. 1-". pews BUILDING CONSTRUCTION v Filed July 325, 1931 '10Sheets-Sheet 9 1m l l l l I L.-

May 8, 1934. A. F. BEMIS BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 25, 1931 10Sheets-Sheet 10 Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES BUILDINGooNs'muo'rIoN Albert F. Bemis, Newton, Mass., assignor to BemisIndustries, Incorporated, Boston, Mass, a corporation of DelawareApplication July 25, 1931, Serial No. 553,033

11 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in building construction and moreparticularly to an arrangement whereby preformed units may be assembledto provide the walls of a building,

the term walls being employed generically to indicate outer side walls,partitions, floors and/or roofs.

In accordance with the invention, similar units may be provided to formvertical, horizontal and 19 inclined walls and to define the oppositefaces of said walls as well as to provide structural rein;-

forcements or in effect form frame members in the walls. For example, invertical walls, the units may provide structural reinforcements cf- 5fective as studs and posts, while in the horizontal walls suchstructural reinforcements may act eifectively as joists. Similarly ininclined walls or roofs the structural reinforcements may act asrafters. These units may be connected to 29 horizontal frame or aligningmembers disposed at the intersections of the walls, which areparticularly devised to interfit with and be connected to the units inthe vertical and horizontal walls. Accordingly, these frame members inthe form of girts and sills are combined with the wall units to providea complete structure not only including all of the essential elements ofthe structural framework, but also defining the opposite faces of thewall. The faces of the units may themselves form the ultimate faces ofthe completed wall or suitable layers of finishing material of anydesired type may be applied thereto.

The units preferably may be preformed in a manufacturing establishmentin standardized 5 sizes, being formed of standardized stock such aschannels and flat sheets, while the frame members may be formed instandardized dimensions in lengths which correspond to the variousdimensions of the wall units. The frame members may be formed of simplestructural elements such as plates, angles, etc. Accordingly, the wallunits and frame members may be manufactured at low cost and may berapidly and easily assembled in situ so that the complete building in sofar as its essential parts are concerned may be quickly assembled anderected.

Suitable finish material may be applied as desired to the essentialportion of the building or portions of the wall units may themselves besuitably treated in the factory or in situ directly to form the wallfinish. In accordance with one important aspect of this invention, thewall units and frame members cooperate to provide numerousinterconnecting passageways which form ducts for heating, cooling or thelike or provide spaces for the introduction of service conduits such aswater pipes, electric lines, heating pipes or the like. Accordingly,this construction permits the rapid installation of accessories such asheating, cooling, lighting, or ventilating systems, and facilitates theemployment of elements of standardized length in the assembly of suchsystems.

This invention is particularly advantageous in permitting the employmentof wall units and frame or aligning members formed of metal which isadapted to withstand extremes of humidity, the ravages of insects and ingeneral avoids the tendency to warp, swell or crack, which characterizeconventional construction employing wooden frame members. My copendingapplication, Serial No. 555,312, filed August 5, 1931, discloses abuilding construction of this general type employed not only forstructural purposes, but also as an essential part of the heating meansfor the building.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a broken perspective view of a typical wall unit adapted to beemployed for vertical walls;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slightly different unit adapted to beemployed in floors. or horizontal roofs;

Fig. 3 is a perspective struction;

Fig. 4 is a typical horizontal section through a portion of a buildingconstructed in accordance 'with this invention;

Fig. 5 is a top view of a typical corner unit;

Fig. 6 is a broken side elevation of the same;

Fig. 7 is a perspective detail of a portion of the unit;

Fig. 8 is a section indicated by line 88 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a section indicated by line 9--9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a top view of a typical wall unit employed at theintersections of verticalwalls;

Fig. 11 is a broken elevational view of the unit shown in Fig. 9;

Figs. 12 and 13 are perspective detail views of portions of the unitshown in Figs. 10 and 11;

Fig. 14 isa section indicated by line 14-.14 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 15 is a section indicated by line 15-15 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 16 is a top plan view of a girt comer portion;

Fig. 17 is a similar view of an optional corner portion;

detail of a frame con- Fig. 18 is an end view of the girt corner membershown in Fig. 16;

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of a portion of a sill;

Fig. 20 is a top plan view of a girt unit employed at the intersectionof vertical walls;

Fig. 21 is a section on line 2121 of Fig. 20;

Fig. 22 is a section on line 22-22 of Fig. 20;

Fig. 23 is a sectional view of the unit shown in Fig. 20;

Fig. 24 is a transverse sectional view of a ridge construction;

Fig. 25 is a section showing a typical arrangement of the parts at theintersection of vertical and horizontal walls;

Figs. 26 and 27 are sectional views showing optional arrangements forconnecting an inclined roof to a vertical wall;

Fig. 28 is an elevational view of a wall showing a door unit therein;

Figs. 29, 30 and 31 are sections indicated by lines 2929, 3030, and31-31 of Fig. 28;

Fig. 32 is a view similar to Fig. 28, but showing a window unit; and

Fig. 33 is a perspective view with parts broken away showing theprovision of a keying and sealing member between the edges of adjacentwall units.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1,the numeral 1 designates a typical wall unit which may be provided withopposite face sheets 2 of any suitable material such as a single sheetof metal or composition, or which may be formed of laminated material,for example, expanded metal lathing and a facing sheet of plaster,stucco or the like, or if desired, the sheets 2 may be formed ofreinforced plaster board. Disposed between the margins of the sheets 2are parallel pairs of channels 4 with their bight portions 5 acting asspacers for the sheets and with their legs 6 secured to the sheets inany suitable way. These channels 4 may be formed of suitable materialsuch as metal or a synthetic material, such as a phenol-resincomposition; when metal channels and metal sheets 2 are employed. theseparts may be secured to each other by welding. Preferably, each unit 1is provided with four of the channels, these channels having mitered endportions at the corners of the units, as designated by the numeral 6.

Preferably suitable openings '7 are disposed at modular intervals alongthe margins of the face sheets with corresponding or registeringopenings in the channel legs, thus permitting the con.-' venientconnection of the units to any suitable elements such as door or windowframes, or the girts, or any suitable finishing sheets.

Fig. 2 illustrates a typical flooring unit 9, which is similar to thatshown in Fig. 1, but which is provided with an upper face sheet 10 ofsomewhat larger area than the lower face sheet 11, the interveningchannels 12 being provided with legs 13 and 14 of different depths sothat the outer edges of these legs are substantially flush with theouter edges of the face sheets. The ends of these channels preferablyare mitered as designated by numeral 16.

Fig. 4 discloses a typical arrangement of the units to form theessential portions of the building. As shown, the wall units 1 aredisposed in edge to edge juxtaposition so that the channels 4 extendvertically and form vertical structural reinforcements for the wall,corresponding to studs in the conventional wall structure. Furthermore.these channels define continuous duct portions a clearly shown in Fig.4. The floor units 9 extend between opposite parallel wall units beingconnected thereto by suitable means which will be described. At theintersections and corners of vertical walls, special wall units areemployed. Thus at the corner provided by the intersection of two walls,an L-shaped unit 21 is used; at the intersection of three walls aT-shaped unit 31 may be employed, while at the intersection of fourwalls a cross-shaped unit 41 is employed.

The marginal portions of these units are provided with channel portionswhich correspond to the channel portions of the main wall units 1 sothat uniformity of construction is facilitated.

A typical corner unit 21, (Figs. 5 and 6) is provided with inner andouter face sheets 22 and 23 with portions disposed at right angles toeach other, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8. The vertical channels 4 employedin these units may be identical with those in the, main wall units 1,while special mitered channels 27 (Fig. 7) may be secured at the upperand lower ends of the units with the legs 24 and 25 of these channelsengaging the upper and lower margins of face sheets 22 and 23.

Fig. 10 shows a T-shaped unit 31 which may be provided with the angularface sheets 33 and the planar face sheets 34, the three verticalchannels 4 being identical with those employed in the wall units. At theupper and lower ends of the units 31 a channel 37 may be provided with acut-out portion 38 to register with the end of a short channel 39 whichextends inwardly away from the planar sheet 34. Each channel 37 has acontinuous leg 40 secured to the margin of the sheet 34 and has itsopposite leg portions 42 secured to aligned portions of the angularsheets 33, the parallel portions of these sheets being secured to thesides of channels 39.

The ends of the upright units preferably have 'an interfittingengagement with, and are secured ,upstanding and depending parallelflange portions 52 and 53 disposed in planes at right angles to theplate. Between the parallel flanges, the girt is provided with a seriesof openings '77. As shown, the flanges 52 may be provided by the legs ofa channel 54 and may have marginalportions which are inclined or curvedinwardly, thus facilitating the ready' engagement with the channel edgesof the wall units. Fig. 25 shows the assembled positions of these parts.The flanges 53 may be provided by the angles 56 and may engage over theouter faces of the lower row of units. The flanges 52 and 53 may beprovided with modularly spaced openings 55 that are adapted to registerwithsimilar openings in the edges of the wall units. Suitable fasteningelements such as bolts 60 and 61 may then be arranged to secure theunits 1 in interfitting engagement with the flanges. The planar portion50 or plate 51 of the frame member may be provided with lateralextensions or ledges 62 having modularly spaced openings 63 therein forregistering with corresponding openings in the ends of the floor units,suitable fastening means 66 being employed to secure these parts inengagement. It is evident that the overhanging leg 13 of the channel 12of the floor unit 9 rests upon and is secured to the ledge 62.

A sill member '70 (Fig. 19) may be disposed on the foundation.69 withupstanding flanges '71 engaging the lower edges of the lower row of wallunits in the same general manner as has been described. A girt which isdisposed between two floors, i. e., in the interior of the building, hastwo angles 56, as shown in Fig. 25, while a girt which is disposed uponthe outer wall of a building may have its outer depending flangeprovided by a downturned marginal portion of its web plate. Fig. 18, forexample, shows the typical cross section of such a girt member.

Special corner or joint elements may be provided to connect straightframe members or girt strips 49 at wall corners and intersections. Figs.16 and 1'7 show such arrangements. The girt member shown in Fig. 16 isadapted to be employed where a. straight outer wall portion is joined toa protuberant wall portion such as a bay, while the girt member orcorner section shown in Fig. 17 is adapted to be employed at theconventional corner. In each case'these corner sections arecharacterized by depending outer flanges 48 provided by the down-turnedmarginal portion of the web plate. Each corner piece is provided with aflat plate 50 corresponding to the planar portion 50 of Fig. 3 and hassuitable channels, angles and/or downturned plate margins providingupstanding and depending flanges 52 and 53 corresponding to the flangesupon the main girt strips. At the ends of the corner pie ce an angle 56may be extended while at the end of the main girt strip or member thecorresponding angle 56 may be cut back so that a splice joint isprovided as shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 20 .and 21 show a similar unit employed in the intersection ofthree walls, the plate 50 corresponding to the plate 51 of Fig. 3, beingof generally T-shape and being provided with angles 56 projecting beyondthe plate in the central portion of the T and at its extremities asshown, thus permitting the ready employment of splice joints to connectthe straight girt portions 49 to the joint member. The intersection unitof Fig. 20 is provided with a flange 48 and channels 54* of the generaltype already described. Similar units may be provided for four-wayconnections, the planar portion under these conditions having across-like shape. The plates 51. 50, 50*. etc., are provided withmodularly spaced openings '77 between the parallel flanges 52 and .53.These openings thus permit the spaces at the ends of adjoining rows ofunits to communicate with each other and facilitate tightening of thefastenings 61.

Units generally similar to the wall units may be employed for aninclined roof, such units 1 being disclosed in Fig. 2'? or as shown inFig. 26 a similar unit 1 may be provided with its outer face sheet 2having an upwardly bent flange 23 for connection to the lower ends ofroofing boards 80. Special girt elements may be employed for connectingthe units 1 or 1 with the vertical wall members 1 and floor members 9.These girt members may have a main plate 50 with openings 7'7 thereinand with one horizontal ledge 79 connected to the floorunits 9, and withan opposite downwardly inclined ledge portion 82.

Elongate strips of the cross-section shown in Figs. 26 and 2'? may besecured by welding to the opposite ledges provided by the plate 50 atthe outer edge of the girt. On the outer edge of the girt, the strip 83may have a flange 81 extending at right angles to the body-portion ofthe plate 50 in engagement with the outer faces of units 1, the strip 83also having inclined portions 84 and 84*, parallel to the outer ledgeand being connected by a bight portion 5.adjoining the. outer edge ofthis ledge, while a flange 87 at right angles to the legs 84 and 84 isadapted to engage the-bight portion of the channel 4 of the unit 1 orthe channel 4 of the unit 1. At the inner edge of the girt the strip 90may have parallel leg portions 91 (Fig. 26) engaging opposite faces ofthe ledge and are connected by a bight portion 93, there being adepending flange. 94 engaging the inner faces of the wall units 1 and anupwardly extending web 95 with an angularly disposed flange 96 engagingthe lower face sheets of the inclined roof units.

It is understood that the ledges 79 and 82, and the meinbers 83 and 90are provided with openings spaced at modular intervals to permit theready connection of the frame member to the floor units 9 and to theroof units as well as to the wall units 1.

Fig. 27 shows an optional form of frame mem ber, the plate 50 with theouter strip 185 being of the general character shown in Fig. 26, butwith the inner strip 90 terminating above the edge of the upper facesheet 10 of the floor member 9 rather than extending upwardly to'theinclined roof units. Fig. 24 shows a typical ridge construction, a lowerangle member 140 being secured to the lower marginal portions of theunits 1 and a ridge angle 141 being disposed between the ends of theouter faced sheets of these units with portions in alignment with eachof the face sheets. The face sheets 2 have upwardly disposed flangedportions 142 which are disposed in face-to-face engagement with similarup-turned flange portions 143 at the sides of the unit 141. A suitableu-shaped clip 144 is then disposed over the flanges 142 and 143 andsecured in place by fastening elements 145. Fastening elements 146 maysecure the angle 140 to the adjoining marginal portions of the units.

It is evident that suitable units for window and door frames may beprovided to be assembled interchangeably with the wall units 1, theseunits including small wall elements below and above the window framesand above the door frames. As shown in Fig. 28, the door unit may beprovided with outer vertically disposed channels 102 having their bightportions disposed transversely of the wall and welded to correspondingportions of channels 103 with inwardly extending legs 104. Above thedoor opening, the unit may be provided with an upper channel 4corresponding to the similar channels in the main wall units and withface plates 105 and 106 which are secured to the legs of a channel 110having its bight portion substantially aligned with the lower edges ofthe plates. The bight portion of a channel 112 is secured to thecorresponding portion of the channel 110. and this channel has dependinglegs 113. At the base of the unit is a channel 122 corresponding to thechannels 40f the other wall units and adapted to engage the upstandingflanges of the girt or sill member, while the bight portion of a channel123 is secured to a corresponding portion of the channel 122 and has itslegs extending upwardly. The various parts thus forming the door unitare preferably welded together in the factory and may be assembled inthe wall in the same manner as one of the main wall units. The channels103, 112 and 123 provide a continuous perimetric recess around the dooropening for the reception of any suitable grounds to which the doorframe itself may be connected.

Fig. 32 shows the arrangement of the window unit which may also beformed of various parts welded together in the same general manner as isthe case with the door unit. The construction of the upper part of thewindow unit and the side rails thereof may be identical with thatdescribed and disclosed with reference to the door unit, the lower partof this unit having a portion with face plates 206 corresponding to theconstruction employed in its upper part; accordingly, the variouselements in Fig. 32 are designated by numerals similar to those in Figs.28 to 31.

If desired, the layers of exterior and/or interior finish material maybe depended upon to seal the joints betweenadjoining wall units 1.However, in certain embodiments of the invention it is desirable toprovide sealing and keying or aligning members which have aninterfitting engagement with the adjoining side channels 4 of the wallunits. Fig. 33 shows, for example, a hollow rectangular member 215 whichis received in interfitting engagement with the two side channels 4 ofadjoining wall units 1. The upper and lower ends of such a keying membermay be cut away as designated by numeral 216 to provideintercommunicating openings between the channels 4 at the upper andlower ends of the units.

In the construction of a building of this character it is evident thatthe sill members '70 may be mounted upon the foundation 69 being securedthereto by grouting disposed in the openings '77 and by anchor screws 68extending through the ledge openings if desired. The main wall units arethen fitted over the flanges of the sill members and at the corners orintersections of walls special units with branches in each of themeeting walls are provided, such as the units 21, 31, or 41. The grits49 for the second story are then disposed in engagement with the upperends of the wall units. It is evident that in the assembly of the wallunits a window or door unit may be disposed where desired in place of aconventional main wall unit. The lower flanges of the girts are securedto the upper marginal portions of the wall units by the fastening boltsat the corners or intersecting points of the girts. The special girtcorner elements are provided and secured to the main girt portions byspliced connections in the manner previously described.

The floor units 9 may then be disposed with their overhanging endportions in engagement with the ledges of the girts and be securedthereto. The floor units for the first story may similarly be secured tothe sill members. Obviously succeeding stories may be erected in thesame manner.

It is evident that this invention provides a type of buildingconstruction permitting the employment of preformed units to define theopposite faces of walls, whether the walls are disposed vertically.horizontally, or are in the form of inclined roof portions. These unitsmay either provide the wall finish or provide surfaces for the receptionof any suitable finishing material while certain of these units may bespecially formed to provide door and window openings. The units arestructural elements corresponding to posts, studs, joists, and raftersin conventional construction, the face sheets bracing and reinforcingthe marginal channels to aid the structural strength of the units, sothat the only frame members which are neecssary are the aligning membersor girts and sills at the intersections of vertical walls and walls inhorizontal or inclined planes. The girts and joists provided by thepresent invention are particularly adapted for ready connection with thewall units and with the floor or roof units, and the employment of thespecial corner and intersection girt elements permits the convenientconnection of these parts to one another. The arrangement of thechannels along the margins of the units provides suitable ducts orpassages for receiving service connections such as electric lightingconduits, steam pipes or the like, or these ducts themselves may providepassages for the how of heating or cooling fluids such as warm or coolair.

It is evident that the openings provided along the margins of the wallunits and along the edges of the floor units as well as thecorresponding openings in the frame members are disposed at standardizeddistances permitting ready connection of these parts to one another.Furthermore, the wall units and girt members may be provided instandardized lengths and widths, permitting the ready employment ofstandardized elements without necessity for cutting to special sizealthough permitting a wide latitude in the choice of room dimensions andthe general room layout. Accordingly, this invention permits the rapiderection of the essential portions of a building, including thestructural parts and the finish portions of the various walls or thegrounds for the reception of the finish.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustration only and that this invention includes all modificationsand equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Building construction comprising a plurality of aligned units eachhaving rectangular face sheets defining opposite faces of a Wall, andchannels with their legs secured in parallel engagement with each of themargins of the face sheets, said channels defining intercommunicatingducts extending between and along the ends of the units, a frame memberextending along the ends of the units, said frame member having a planarportion cooperating with the channels in defining the duct extendingalong the ends of the unit, said frame member having flangessubstantially at right angles to its planar portion and engaging theends of the units.

2. Building construction comprising a plurality of aligned units eachhaving rectangular face sheets defining opposite faces of a wall, andchannels with their legs secured in parallel engagement with each of themargins of the face sheets, said channels defining intercommunicatingducts extending between and along the ends of the units, a frame memberextending along the ends of the units, said frame member having a planarportion cooperating with the channels in defining the duct extendingalong the ends of the unit, said frame member having flangessubstantially at right angles to its planar portion and engaging theends of the units, said planar portion having an extension projectingbeyond the faces of the units at one side thereof,- and a plurality offloor units each having parallel face sheets and-channels extendingalong the edges of said face sheets, said floor units having their endssupported on the extension of the planar frame portion.

3. Building construction comprising upright wall units providinginteroommunicating channel-likerecesses at'their verticaland horizontaledges, the vertical recesses of adjoining wall units cooperating to formvertical ducts, a frame member extending along the horizontal edges ofthe units and cooperating therewith to form a.

horizontal duct communicating with the verticalducts, and floor unitssecured to the frame member, said floor units each having channellikerecesses extending along each side thus providing a continuous recessalong the frame member and intercommunicating recesses at rightanglesthereto.

4. Building construction comprising columnar units of a story in heightdefining opposite faces of walls, frame members extending along theupper and lower ends of the units, said wall units including channelsacting as frame elements and cooperating to form vertical ducts at theedges of the units, the wall units intermediate wall intersectionshaving rectangular face sheets, with their edges secured to thechannels, and wall units at wall junctions having similar channelsjuxtaposed to the main units in each of the connecting .walls.

5. Building construction comprising frame members including straightsections and joint sections at well intersections, the joint sectionsbeing branches aligned with a plurality of the straight sections, saidstraight and joint sectionseach being formed of a plurality ofstructural elements, certain of said elements being extended beyond theremainder of the corresponding sections and secured to the adjoiningsection, whereby the straight and joint sections are secured to eachother.

6. Building construction comprising frame membersincluding straightsections and joint sections at wall intersections, the joint sectionsbeing branches aligned with a plurality of the straight sections, saidstraight and joint sections, each being formed of a plurality ofstructural elements, certain of said elements being extended beyond theremainder of the corre-' sponding sections and secured to the adjoiningsection, whereby the straight and joint sections are secured to eachother, said structural elements having openings at regular intervals forthe reception 'of fastening elements, the extensions 'of the elementshaving openings registering with openings in the adjoining sections, andfastenings, disposed in said openings.

'7. Building construction comprising a plurality of aligned wall unitseach having intercommunicating channel-like recesses extending planes todefine opposite faces of 'a wall, similar units having window openingstherein, and frame members extending along the upper and lower edges ofthe units in interfitting engagement therewith.

9. A building construction comprising a plurality of wall unitssubstantially a story in height, said units'having rectangular,perimetric frames with juxtaposed vertical side members,-

certain of said units having continuous face sheets extending betweenthe sides and ends of i the frames, one of said units having an innerrectangular frame within the outer frame for a door or window, and asmall face sheet between the inner frame and the top of the outer frame.

10. A building construction comprising a plurality of wall unitssubstantially a story in height, said units having rectangular,perimetric frames with juxtaposed verticalside members, certain of saidunits having continuous face sheets extending between the sides and endsof the frames, one of said units having an inner rectangular framewithin the outer frame for a door or window, and a small face sheetbetween the inner frame and the top of the outer frame,

.tween the elements to define the faces of the vertical walls adjoininga region of mutual intersectio'n. V

ALBERT F. BEMIS.

